Ocean Trash by the Numbers – Ocean Conservancy

Just this week, we released the results of last year’s International Coastal Cleanup. During the 2016 ICC, more than half a million volunteers from 112 countries worked tirelessly to collect over 18 million pounds of trash.

That is a lot of trash. To put it in perspective, here’s some stats of what we collected:

Enough balloons to lift a 2,200-pound walrus

Enough beverage cans to weigh as much as a Jeep safari

Enough cigarette lighters to equal ten times the height of the Eiffel Tower

Enough fishing line to reach the bottom of the Marianas Trench (the deepest point of the ocean)—nine times over

And, volunteers walked enough miles of coastline to circle the moon twice

Want to learn more about the numbers behind last year’s Cleanup? Check out the graphics below to see the top items collected, some of the weirdest finds and more. And don’t forget to read the report for the full story.

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Food for Thought:

Based on 2016 IMF Report the fossil fuel industry extracted $700B (billion) in annual tax payer subsidies. They paid $117 million in campaign contributions and they have 720 lobbyists in Washington, D.C. SOURCE